Don't have an account?

Favorite Schools

Favorite Teams

Your comments and poll: Hampden District Attorney Race 2014

candidates.JPG

The Greater Springfield NAACP sponsored a debate between the Hampden County District Attorney candidates at Springfield Technical Community College on Tuesday evening in Springfield. Here Talbert Swan II introduces the candidates. From left is Swan, debate moderator Laura Hutchinson, and candidates Shawn Allyn, Hal Etkin, Anthony Gulluni and Brett Vottero.
(Dave Roback/The Republican)

Allyn has emerged as the progressive of the bunch and has been embraced by LGBT groups after disclosing that he is gay early in the campaign. Perhaps Allyn's most high-profile client was Melvin Jones III, a black motorist from Springfield who was beaten during a traffic stop by a group of white police officers.

Also, Allyn received a tongue-lashing by Westfield District Judge Philip Contant in a ruling in a vehicular homicide case. The ruling came within days of Allyn announcing his candidacy and forced Allyn to answer claims that he violated conflict-of-interest and ethics rules dictating which cases lawyers can take based on previous relationships. Allyn responded that the judge got it wrong. Contant issued a subsequent ruling allowing Allyn to assist his client in a "limited capacity" without pay from the commonwealth.

Etkin spent seven years as a Hampden County prosecutor under former district attorney Matthew Ryan from 1984 to 1991, including as head of the child abuse unit. Spent four years as an assistant city solicitor for the City of Springfield in the early 1990s and simultaneously started a private practice that focuses on personal injury, family law and criminal law. He seems to have captured what those in the political game call "silver hair endorsements," by and large, which have value.

Though affable, Etkin also is prone to public gaffes such as asking two African-American supporters, randomly, to stand up and be recognized at a forum hosted by the Springfield NAACP in July. Many at the well-attended event cringed.

Gulluni has worked as an assistant Hampden County district attorney for six years, with experience before that as an assistant city solicitor for Springfield. Gulluni is enthusiastic, telegenic and girded to answer the predictable challenges to his youth and having the fewest number of years as an attorney.

Gulluni is building a robust support base in Springfield, the county seat. He also won the endorsement of Bennett, still popular among many, and still referred to as "DA" by many despite that he's been out of office for four years. Gulluni also won endorsements by the Massachusetts State Police trooper and supervisors' unions, plus the Longmeadow Police Department union and some labor support.

An assistant Hampden County district attorney for a collective 30 years under District Attorneys Matthew Ryan and William Bennett, Vottero was appointed as Bennett's only head of his homicide unit and has taken more than a dozen murder cases to trial - plus scores of other serious felonies. He left office in 2008. He was later appointed as a special prosecutor in the Anthony Baye arson case in Hampshire County.

Vottero has an unrivaled prosecutorial track record in this race, forcing his opponents to primarily focus on future plans and vision for the office. Vottero is built for competition through his trial experience. Many in the legal community regard Vottero as unnecessarily abrasive. He has the strongest show of support among law enforcement including the Springfield Patrolman's Union. He also has strong support from victims and family members from past prosecutions and a good showing from well-regarded trial lawyers.

WesternMaAlex writes, “It would appear that Gulluni's age is not an issue for Bill Bennett or the entire state police organization (aka people who know their business). He is also the only candidate to have tried a criminal case as a prosecutor in the last 7 years. Vottero is running the exact same campaign he ran last time and expecting different results (isn't that the definition of insanity?) and has only handled one criminal plea since he left the office amidst his temper tantrum in 2007. He has also applied to be a judge 3 different times in the last several years. Etkin is not a real contender. Shawn Allyn has too many ethical problems to be given this much power. This is not a position that should just be about ego, it is about serving the community and keeping it safe. Anthony Gulluni is the guy to do it!”

EddieDean writes, “Allyn is out, how can you have a DA that 'has little support from law enforcement?' On top of that, he is considered unethical. Etkin, I think is out, too. We don't really need DA that may embarrass the region and offend wide segments of the population. Looks like Vottero or Gulluni.”

Westernmass2015 responds, “You are obviously not seeing things straight. The author wrote Allyn is one who 'bucks the establishment.' While the other candidates are naively considered 'tough on crime' and favor locking drug abusers in jail for 50+ years, Allyn at least has the courage to stand up to our draconian sentencing laws. You should never trust a prosecutor.”

Whiskeyboss writes, “Nice piece. Hopefully the dolt electorate will not just vote without being informed of who would do the best job putting criminals behind bars. Not so sure we need an activist DA, we need someone that can work with police, and clean up the streets.”

The above poll is designed for reader engagement and is not supported by scientific methodology.